Chiropractic Apologetics, Part I
Obviously, it is not possible to condense the philosophy of chiropractic into a short essay. If it were, it would not need to be taught in six trimesters, and B.J. would not have had to write volumes of Green Books. But if there is one philosophi cal concept that separates straight chiropractic from every thing else, it is that the innate intelligence determines what is normal for the organism and not the educated intelligence of the person. This concept represents the uniqueness of straight chiropractic. Every therapeutic procedure depends upon estab lishing a norm, a standard, or a range and then attempting to conform the individual to that standard by some procedure. In straight chiropractic, we do not condemn that approach. In fact, we recognize that at times it may be necessary. However, it is always inferior to allowing the innate intelligence of the body to do the job. It is only when the innate intelligence cannot perform that function, due to limitations of the matter that it has to work with, that an educated mind is called upon to try to fulfill that task. This is the legitimate practice of medicine. Furthermore, if the wisdom of the body is capable of fulfilling that responsibility, it is foolish to attempt to usurp that authority, especially by a wisdom (the educated mind) that is admittedly inferior. Chiropractic does not involve itself with an inferior approach to addressing the problems of the human organism, not only because that approach is inferior, but because there is already a branch of the "healing arts" that has assumed that approach - it is called the practice of medicine. Whenever a chiropractor attempts to conform an individual to a standard, level, or a state which has been established by someone other than the innate intelligence of that individual (either "science" or the doctor himself), he is assuming a lesser role in the health care delivery system and also elevating that inferior approach to a higher position, which it does not deserve.
One of the most confusing things to a straight chiropractor, and I would imagine to the public also, is how a chiropractor can criticize the practice of medicine on one hand, and then emulate the practice of medicine on the other. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, most chiropractors are paying homage to medicine all day long in their offices.
The issue of diagnosis, which appears to be the focus of conflict between straight chiropractic and mixing chiropractic is at the foundation of this idea of educatedly establishing norms for the body. A diagnosis is literally a determination that an individual has departed from an educatedly deter mined standard. Its use is solely a prerequisite to instituting action necessary to bringing the individual back to the educat edly determined standard. Straight chiropractors do not attempt to bring people to any educatedly determined stand ard; that is the practice of medicine. Even in the area of subluxation correction, the chiropractor is giving the innate intelligence of the body a force with which it can bring the spinal vertebrae back to an innately determined standard - normal. That is why we do not adjust spines, we introduce intelligent (hopefully!) forces. That is not semantics, but represents a mind-set. If we think we are doing anything else, like putting the bones where they belong, we are off purpose and will soon be practicing other than a straight chiropractic objective.
If every chiropractor would truly understand the concept of normal (innately established) and average (educatedly established) and how one represents the ap proach to health care and the other an approach to disease care, it seems inconceivable that he/she would choose to practice a limited, outdated approach that is only benefi cial to a very few when he/she could practice a modern approach that is beneficial to everyone.
Terminology
There is an alarming trend in chiropractic today to abandon our unique chiropractic terminology. Much of it has come about by the desire of many in our profession to get into mainstream medicine. However, there is another tendency within the straight chiropractic community. Instead of aban doning our unique terminology, some decide to incorporate other terms. There is a need to keep theological and religious terminology out of our chiropractic vocabulary, because God and universal intelligence are not synonymous, nor are the soul and innate intelligence. Often we incorporate other terms in an effort to more clearly communicate our message, but it has the opposite effect. It confuses people. Sometimes we do it because we are lazy. It is easier to use words that people understand, rather than teach them new vocabulary. However, it hurts chiropractic when we do that
We need to consider chiropractic's unique terminology. Other people are beginning to speak chiropractically. The medical profession and people like Bernie Segal and Norman Cousins are beginning to talk about chiropractic matters and chiropractic philosophy. These other profes sions have their unique terms. We must be careful not to be drawn into their terminology, even if it clearly resem bles our chiropractic concept. Many other groups are beginning to realize the chiropractic truth. (Where they have been all these years, I do not know.) Much of our terminology, however, needs to be cleaned up so as not to associate chiropractic with them. An example is the term, _Life Force. _Here is a term we have used for years to mean the mental impulse created in the innate brain, by the innate intelligence of the body, which is transmitted over the nervous system. But Life Force has become a catch word of much of the New Age movement, with which straight chiropractic should not be associated. To keep its objective, straight chiropractic must not be mixed or associated with anything, including New Age, religion, medicine, or wholistic health care. All of these have other objectives. Words are meant to clarify thought. When they cease to do that, and begin to confuse, it is time to develop new terminology and discard the old. While Life Force is a good, descriptive term, it is not scientific and it tends to confuse, because others are using the term to describe a metaphysical force other than the mental impulse
We criticize a segment of our profession for bringing medical terminology into chiropractic, but we all must be careful that we are not guilty of bringing in non-chiro practic terminology also.
Specificity
B.J. Palmer once said something to the effect that anybody who ever got well did so because of a specific chiropractic adjustment.
The question that initially comes to mind is "what is a specific chiropractic adjustment?" Is it HIO, any force introduced by a chiropractor with the intention of correct ing a subluxation, or something else
The truth is that the vast majority of subluxations are corrected by very non-specific forces introduced. They only become specific as the innate intelligence of the body uses them. I am not just referring to "rack 'em, crack 'em" techniques. Rolling over in your sleep introduces forces which, if the body is able to utilize them, can correct a vertebral subluxation. Anything that raises the quality of the matter of the human organism gives the innate intelli gence greater potential to correct a vertebral subluxation. An individual who is suffering from "the flu" drinks fluids and goes to bed. The fluids have the effect of flush ing toxins from the system. The rest allows the body to recuperate slightly. This combination of factors makes the tissues of the body a little stronger. That increase in quali ty may be the difference between the body having the ability to correct a subluxation and not. That is why mil lions of people get well from the "flu" without ever seeing a chiropractor . The body often adjusts itself. Is this adjustment specific? What is specific?
A medical doctor gives a patient a drug for an infec tion. The drug has harmful effects upon the matter of the body. However, it also kills or aids in the destruction of the bacteria. If that beneficial effect is greater than the harmful effect, then the quality of the matter of the body has been raised. That elevation may cause the matter to be of sufficient quality for the innate intelligence to use it to correct a vertebral subluxation. Remember, the innate intelligence of the body is always trying to correct every subluxation whenever, wherever, and as soon as it occurs.
The only thing preventing the innate intelligence from correcting the subluxation is limitation of the matter with which it has to work. Innate intelligence is limited by limitations of matter.
The drug may make the difference in removing an obstacle that prevents the innate intelligence from accomplishing its purpose. We very rarely think of a drug acting that way. Was the adjustment that was accomplished by the M.D. giving the drug any less specific than the one accomplished by drinking fluids and going to bed? Were both of them any less specific than the force introduced by a chiropractor? Perhaps we should stop and understand what "specific" means. It is interesting that we continually use common words and never really think about their meanings. "Specific" has numerous meanings. One meaning that seems particularly apropos: "Exerting a particular influence over any part..." (Webster, New Collegiate). Apparently, what is important is the intention. If you hit someone in the back of the head with a baseball bat with the intention of inflicting bodily harm, but instead pro duce an adjustment, that is not specific. If you hit him in the back of the head with the intention of correcting an ASLA atlas subluxation, is that specific?
Leaving the ridiculous examples and getting to more practical ones, we can see that adjusting subluxations to treat disease is not (straight) chiropractic. Specificity comes about not so much by your technique, but by your intention and the intention of the procedure. If the average person were to see someone striking another person with a baseball bat, he/she would not conclude a chiropractic adjustment was being given. The perfect HIO adjustment, given to treat a headache is not specific, hence is not chiropractic. Perhaps this is what B.J. meant by the statement "Chiropractic is specific or it is nothing.
Since specificity relates to procedure it helps us answer a long-standing problem that has confronted the straight chiropractor. The argument has been made that using a baseball bat to correct subluxation is chiropractic. Most of us would agree, it is very poor chiropractic. Simi larly, by that thinking, using a spinalator to correct a subluxation has also been said to be chiropractic. The argument extends to putting on heat or cold, or giving an aspirin. Here is where specificity comes in. Specificity means having one procedure for one objective. A baseball bat is not specific, not because it delivers a broad force to more than one vertebral segment (which it does) but because it has other purposes than the correction of vertebral subluxations. It is used for playing baseball. Some times it is used to pound the anchors for bases into the ground. It can be a weapon of violence. You may even be able to pound a nail into a board with a baseball bat. But that is not its purpose and no one would think that driving nails with a baseball bat was carpentry.
Specificity means having one procedure for one objective. A baseball bat is to be swung in such a manner so as to strike a baseball and propel it to a point where there are no opposing players. When you use a bat in this manner, that is specific. The techniques you use - open stance, closed stance, left-handed, right-handed, bat held high or low - are individual preferences, but the objective is specific. Specificity is exerting a particular influence on a particular point, and in chiropractic refers to introducing a force into the spine to set a bone in motion, so that the innate intelligence of the body can place that segment into its proper position relative to the nervous system. We call that action an adjustment.
Here is the principle: You cannot meet a chiropractic objective (subluxation correction) with a medical procedure and still be specific. A machine with rollers may introduce a force which corrects a subluxation, but it has other uses, e.g. relaxation of muscles. An aspirin may cause a chemical reaction creating a force which leads to an adjustment, (I don't know how) but aspirin has other uses. A force introduced into the spine to correct a sublux ation has no other purpose. It is specific and unique to the correction of vertebral subluxations. Unlike the machine, it is not intended to make you feel better, and unlike the aspirin, it is not intended to reduce pain. After the body makes the adjustment you may feel better, or your pain may be reduced, but that is not the result of the force introduced, but the result of what the body did with an improved nerve supply, as a result of what it did with that force. That is far removed from the chiropractor's force and we would do well to remind ourselves of that fact more often to maintain the proper humility.
Now for the application. If a procedure or so-called chiropractic technique can be used for any other purpose than to introduce a force into the spine to correct a vertebral subluxation, then it is not specifically chiropractic. "Chiropractic is specific or it is nothing." Perhaps we need to evaluate some of our techniques with this concept in mind. If a particular technique can be used to accomplish other objectives, such as manipulating extremities, relaxing muscles, removing interference other than at the vertebral level, increasing meridian pathways, channeling life forces or anything else, it is not specifically chiropractic. Chiropractic is specific or it is nothing.